November 2018

I am beyond thrilled to have my Wabi Sabi Images included in the beautiful book “Embracing Life As It Is: Lessons From Wabi-Sabi, Haiku and Zen”, now available on Amazon and trending #1 Best Seller in Haiku and Japanese Poetry. How awesome is that?! My sincere and eternal gratitude goes to the authors of the book, Dr. Alan Gettis and Carl Genjo Bachmann, for inviting me to collaborate on this wonderful project.

If you are interested in purchasing any of my images please contact me via email at cjnewlife12@gmail.com.

 

August 2018

My journey with Wabi Sabi Images continues! As I write this entry I am preparing for another art show, the Seawall Festival in Portsmouth, Virginia. I have just returned from a dream trip to Thailand, almost 50 years after having lived there as a child. My how things have changed! But as I remembered, there were interesting and beautiful things everywhere I went. It was very emotional being back in the place that originally inspired my interest in all things wabi sabi. And it was awesome to be there as a photographer. I will be sharing many of those images here in the coming weeks.

I am also currently preparing many of my Wabi Sabi Images for inclusion in a book being published soon. Stay tuned for more info on that exciting project!

April 2017

Wabi Sabi Images will be going on the road! I will be doing more art shows this spring and summer, starting with Art on the Square in Colonial Williamsburg, Art at the River in historic Yorktown, Virginia, and then to Norfolk, Virginia, for the Stockley Gardens Art Festival.  My hunt for these little treasures will continue indefinitely. As long as there are new roads to explore and small towns to visit I know I will find beauty in unexpected places. I hope you do too!

July 25, 2016

Art shows, exhibits and retail continue to keep me very busy this year! A few highlights of the year so far:  1) This collection of images was instrumental in my recent award of First Place in the Photography Division at the “Art at the River” show in historic Yorktown, Virginia, in May. What an honor it was to have the well-known architect and artist Carlton Abbott, acting as the judge for this juried show, recognize my work as being worthy of such an award among some stiff competition.  2) Some of my “wabi sabi images” were chosen as part of a collection of 66 images of mine now hanging permanently in a new medical office building in Timberville, Virginia. The images were all produced on large canvases and look incredible. What a thrill to see them in their new home! I hope to do more commercial installations in the future, especially when it involves such unusual selections!

January 5, 2016

Another year gone by … and I am still searching for “wabi sabi images” everywhere I go. While I have branched out with my photography and am working on several new projects, I am still drawn to the haunting beauty of abandoned and aging structures, forgotten places, and images of solitude and deterioration. I still really don’t know why but it is probably just part of my own aging process and the challenging effort to accept the weeds and rusting parts of my own body and mind that come with each passing year.

I am still  overjoyed by being able to share my photography with the world and I appreciate each and every person who has commented here or on facebook or who has stopped in to see my work in person at the shows and festivals I have done. I am currently selling my work in several retail locations now and am eternally grateful to everyone who gives my pieces a wall to hang on.

I hope to publish a book of some of my wabi sabi images this year, something I have been saying for a long time! But I think 2016 is the year it will happen. More info to come!

Check out my new Fine Art America website. I have more work to do on it but it is a start!

CJ

August 8, 2015

My how time flies! It is hard to believe how much time has elapsed since I last updated this page. Many, many exciting things have happened in my life since making the decision to pursue photography as a full-time career. I have been busy in 2014 and 2015 continuing to learn as much as I can and to find avenues to share my passion with the world (and get paid for it!). I have been honored to have numerous exhibits, both solo and group, in the past two years. And I now have my work for sale in two local retail outlets.

I won some very thrilling awards in 2015 as a result of entering my work in juried shows.  My image Once Upon a Time She Was Beautiful,  which is now my best-selling image, was awarded Third Place in a large art show in Norfolk, Virginia, that included paintings, sculpture and a wide variety of other media. I was very surprised and thrilled that a simple photograph of an old house was recognized as a piece of “art” worthy of such an award. And sandwiched in between two big awards was a rejection for a juried show – welcome to the art world! There have been ups and downs but I have enjoyed every moment!

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the outdoor art show circuit on the east coast in 2014 and 2015. It is exhausting work but I cannot express how much I have enjoyed meeting the people that stop in and chat with me about my photography. I have met so many wonderful artists and customers, some of whom are now “collectors” of my work.  I have even been invited to speak about this project, Wabi Sabi Images, and that experience was a real honor and joy.

I don’t get to post often on this site now due to my busy schedule but I do continue to go in search of these wonderful images and I know I always will. And since moving to the glorious Outer Banks of North Carolina, I have developed a passion for nature and wildlife photography and there are just never enough hours to shoot, edit, print and share all the beauty I find around me.

To see some of the new things I have been shooting, please visit my Flickr Pro account. More of my work can also be seen on Fine Art America and my zenfolio site CJ Newlife Photography.

CJ

December 31, 2013

As the year comes to a close, I am busy making plans for photographic pursuits in the coming year.  I have recently been accepted into the Chesapeake Bay Artists Association and also joined the Dare County Arts Council. I look forward to the continuation of my artistic journey, to meeting so many other wonderful artists at upcoming events in the region, to traveling new roads in pursuit of wabi sabi images, and to the opening of my exhibit in Cary, North Carolina.  Many thanks again to all who have given me encouragement and feedback, especially those of you who follow this blog!

CJ

October 24, 2013

I was notified yesterday that my picture “Once Upon a Time She Was Beautiful” has been accepted as part of the 2013 Open Juried Photography Exhibition sponsored by the Cary Photographic Artists organization (Cary, North Carolina).  The exhibit runs from October 24 – December 18.  I am honored and delighted to be included among this talented group of photographers.

The Ocean View Art Show (Norfolk, Virginia) was a great experience although the weather did not cooperate! Day one brought periods of rain and wind but I still sold several pieces and met lots of great people.  Thanks to all who stopped by and chatted with me about my work.  Day two brought more rain and stronger winds and so the event organizers made the decision to call it off and allow the artists to pack up before conditions deteriorated even more.  Thanks to all my fellow artists who helped me get packed up that day!

And on a fun note, I have recently joined the blog “The Legion of Door Whores” as a contributor!  Oh how I love an interesting door!

September 2013

Since creating this website I have only grown more passionate about photography. I have been delighted to share my images with the world and I am grateful for all the feedback that has encouraged me to keep pursuing my dreams of being a “real photographer”, whatever that means. There is such an endless supply of wonderful images in the world, glorious things just waiting to be discovered. Mine are not the grand sweeping landscapes or glossy images of elegant monuments that many photographers seek but more about the art that can be found in random unexpected places. Thanks to all of you who have “liked” my work here.

I am delighted to share the news that I was recently selected to do a photography exhibit in the Town of Cary, North Carolina in early 2014. The exhibit is called “The Exquisite Canvas of Abandonment: Images of Historic Fort Monroe”. The month-long exhibit will take place at the Page Walker Arts and History Center in Cary. I will post more details as that date approaches.

I was honored by the Cary Jaycees earlier this year with a first place in the Landscape category and a second in the Animals category during the Spring Daze Art & Crafts Festival.  I actually cried when I got that news! My first bit of evidence that dreams do come true and that perseverance and dedication really can pay off!

I was also just approved for participation in the upcoming 51st Annual Ocean View Art Show in Virginia. Come see me in Ocean View on October 12th and 13th if you are in the area.

I sold numerous pieces this summer at the Windmill Point Art Fair at the Outer Banks of North Carolina and also sold my first piece in Denver thanks to the wonderful folks at 5280LensMafia (www.5280lensmafia.wordpress.com).  I am honored to be part of that talented group of photographers and very grateful for the feedback I have gotten there .

One of my photos of Lizzy Tish (www.goldenlizzy.wordpress.com) will be published in the 2014 calendar for the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue organization.  The photo contest raised over $5000 for that wonderful organization so I am happy to have helped with that effort in some small way.

I am also flattered to have been nominated by a fellow blogger for my first blogging award!

Thank you meticulousmick for the Versatile Blogger nomination!  Since I don’t actually write much of anything, I am tickled that my images apparently speak to people without words.  And my followers come from all over the world which is very exciting! To keep with the tradition of these blogging awards, I will supply 7 interesting facts about myself and also nominate some other bloggers. To play along with this, click here.

So to all the other aspiring photographers out there who, like me, are just getting started – keep at it and good things could come to you too!

Believe in yourself and keep shooting!

CJ